Witches Abroad is pretty standard early Terry Pratchett: It has all the elements of the quirky, early 90's fantasy film in book form, with some heavy handed satire on classical fairytale themes, and a generous splash of tongue and cheek humor. Three small town, mountain witches go on an adventure to a city called Genua, I read as a kind of cross between Venice and New Orleans. It is an incredibly playful take on the Disney fairytale, the distinction between good and evil, and the play of power in the wrong hands.
This is not my first time reading this nor any other Discworld novel. If you have taken a peek at my bio (it's right over there to the left if you hadn't gotten to it yet ), you will see repetitive references to Terry Pratchett. I would most definitely classify him as my all time favorite author. Not to mention, I derived the title of my blog from his literature. So I will not gush excessively about how awesome he is, but let's just say I highly recommend his extensive body of written work and leave it at that.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy in general, and can appreciate the idea that the fairy godmother sending the maiden to the ball could be the bad guy. More than ever, they use more "headology" than "real magic," mostly meaning that they are too stubborn or know too much about how the average person thinks to be wrong. And that any witch worth her salt could outstare her own reflection.
Favorite Quote:
"And there's men 'ere lookin'," said Granny. "I think it's shameful!"
"What is?" said Nanny Ogg, coming up behind her.
"Magrat Garlick, standin' there bifurcated," said Granny, sticking her nose in the air.
"Just so long as she got the young man's name and address," said Nanny, amiably.
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